Cybercriminals in Noida pulled off a daring scam by digitally arresting a retired General Manager of the Indian Railways and extorting a whopping 52.5 lakh rupees from him. The perpetrators threatened to implicate him in a case involving drugs, links to mafia don Dawood Ibrahim, and money laundering.
The incident unfolded when Pramod Kumar, a resident of Amrapali Silicon City Society in Noida and a retired GM of Indian Railways, received a message claiming that a parcel had been sent to him but not delivered. He was instructed to press a button on his phone for more information, but the call was transferred to another person who claimed that the parcel sent by Pramod had been seized by the Taiwan Customs Department for containing suspicious items.
The cybercriminals then proceeded to scare Pramod by revealing the contents of the supposed parcel, including drugs, clothing, passports, and credit cards, all linked to his personal information. They even impersonated a Mumbai Crime Branch officer to further intimidate him. Pramod was coerced into transferring three separate amounts totaling 52.5 lakh rupees over a span of 24 hours under the threat of severe consequences.
The criminals employed digital arrest tactics, ensuring that Pramod did not sleep or communicate with his family during the ordeal. They made false claims of involvement with multiple law enforcement agencies and threatened him with jail time if he didn’t comply. The scam serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of cybercrime and the need for vigilance in safeguarding personal information online.